Friday, January 22, 2010

~The Blessing of Friendship ~

Brotherly companionship :-)
Teddy and Caleb are friends - aren't they too cute holding hands? Hehe :-)

Monday, January 18, 2010

Tips For Keeping Your Home Presentable :-)

Since I love reading other people's housekeeping and homemaking tips, I thought I'd put a few of mine on here. :-) I think it's very important that we wives/mothers make our homes a happy and peaceful place for our families, and I don't think this is possible if the house isn't at least half way presentable. Haha
I do admit to loving books on decluttering and cleaning; I think because these things are part of my "job description", as my mom says. :-)

* Have a housekeeping schedule/chart so things don't pile up on you. I get overwhelmed if I feel I have to get everything done in one day, so I spread the cleaning and laundry chores out over the days of the week.

* Try to pick up all the toys and other items that family members may have left around the house before you go to bed. Straighten everything up ready for the next day.

* In the morning, tidy anything up that you didn't get to the night before. :-)

*When you walk in the house after going out, put your coat, bag, etc. away where it goes right away to avoid clutter piling up.

*Try to clean up as you go along when preparing meals, so you won't have a huge mess to clean up after eating.

*If you don't have time to do the dishes, at least stack everything in the sink, not all over the counter tops.

*Fold laundry in the laundry room or your bedroom, so that if you are interrupted (which you will be if you have children-ha) everyone won't have to see the piles of clothes, towels, etc. sitting around.

*Keep the living room clean and picked up in case of unexpected company. :-)

*Always make the beds in the morning. This makes a big difference.

*And of course, have a place for everything and everything in its place. I can't stand clutter. Haha Not only is it unsightly, but when you go to find something you need, you will waste a lot of time digging through piles of stuff.

My house isn't always perfectly clean and neat, but I know if I keep the basic things going right, it won't take me long to get it clean again. Which is important when you have a baby and 3 year old who take up a lot of your time. They are very worth it, though. :-)

Do you have any homemaking or house keeping tips you'd like to share?